GLENMUIR HIGH SCHOOL
BIOLOGY
TOPIC: CLASSIFICATION
Living organisms can be classified into groups based on similarities and differences. Simple
classification can be made based on observable characteristics eg number of legs, the presence of
wings, hairiness.
Classification is the grouping of organisms based on their observed similarities. Species is a
group of living organisms that share similar characteristics and are capable of mating to produce
fertile offspring.
Activity
Using the following characteristics group the organisms given
Characteristics Organisms
Breathing, moving, swimming, made of cells, needs and Frog, snake, hibiscus, mango
obtains energy, seeing, grows and develops, has wings, has tree, spider, human, monkey,
more than 2 legs mosquito
The classification system uses 7 groups to classify organisms. These 7 groups are Kingdom,
Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus and Species.
Example: Classification of Humans
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Family: Hominidae
Genus: Homo
Species: sapiens
TABLE SHOWING THE FIVE KINGDOMS USED TO CLASSIFY ORGANISMS
Give an example of a living organism under each Kingdom.
THE PROKARYOTE CELL AND EUKARYOTE CELL
Question: What is the difference between a prokaryote cell and a eukaryote cell?
Eukaryote Prokaryote
Nucleus Present Absent
Cell Type Usually multi-cellular Usually unicellular (some
cyanobacteria may be
multi-cellular)
True Membrane Present Absent
bound Nucleus
Example Animals and Plants Bacteria and Archaea
Endoplasmic Present Absent
reticulum
Mitochondria Present Absent
Ribosomes larger smaller
Golgi apparatus Present Absent
Chloroplasts Present (in plants) Absent; chlorophyll scattered
in the cytoplasm
Flagella Absent Present
Permeability of Selective not present
Nuclear Membrane
Cell wall Only in plant cells and fungi Usually chemically complex
(chemically simpler)
Cell size 10-100um 1-10um
KINGDOM: PROKARYOTAE
This kingdom includes all bacteria and blue-green algae. They are unicellular organisms which
absorb their food. Example: Escherichia coli
KINGDOM: FUNGI
Fungi can obtain food in two ways as:
1. Parasite- on organism which feed on another organism causing it harm Eg: Plasmodium
2. Saprophyte- an organism which lives on dead or decaying matter
KINGDOM: PROTOCTISTA
Most are single celled and some are multi-cellular. They can absorb food, photosynthesis or
ingest food. Example: unicellular amoeba, multi-cellular sea bamboo.
KINGDOM: PLANTAE
This is the green kingdom. The Plantae includes all land plants: mosses, ferns, conifers,
flowering plants, and so on—an amazing range of diverse forms. Kingdom Plantae includes
green, brown and red algae, liverworts, mosses, ferns and seed plants with or without flowers.
They have the following characteristics:
● They are multicellular organisms with walled and frequently vacuolated (means they
have a vacuole) eukaryotic cells.
● These contain photosynthetic pigment in chloroplasts. The principle mode of nutrition is
photosynthesis.
● They are primarily non-motile and live anchored to a substrate.
● Reproduction is primarily asexual or sexual. The reproductive organs are multi-cellular.
Angiosperms
The angiosperms, or flowering plants, are the most dominant and ubiquitous vascular plants of
present-day flora. These plants are primarily responsible for changing the green and yellow
melancholy of the earth’s vegetation. They do so by their beautiful and colorful brightness and
fragrance of their flower.
The term angiosperm means ‘enclosed seed’. This is so because the ovules or potential seeds are
enclosed within a hollow ovary. We can divide the plants of Angiosperms into two major groups
as – Dicotyledons and Monocotyledons.
Dicotyledons
They show the following distinguishing characteristics:
● We see taproots in the members of this group.
● The leaves in members of these classes exhibit reticulate (net-like) venation.
● The flowers are tetramerous or pentamerous having four or five members in the
various floral whorls, respectively.
● The vascular bundles arranged in a ring, number 2–6, open and with cambium.
● The seeds of dicotyledons are with two cotyledons as the name indicates.
Monocotyledons
They show the following distinguishing characteristics:
● We see adventitious roots in the members of this group.
● The leaves are simple with parallel venation.
● The flowers are trimerous. They have three members in each floral whorl.
● The vascular bundles scattered in the ground tissue, many in number, closed and
without cambium.
● The seeds of monocotyledons are with one cotyledon as the name indicates. e.g.,
Cereals, bamboos, sugarcane, palms, banana, lilies and orchids.
Pinophyta
Living gymnosperms (having external seeds) are mostly perennials, xerophytic, evergreen,
arboreal and woody plants. The external features of these are:
● The plant body is differentiated into root, stem, and leaves.
● The plant possesses a well-developed tap root system. In some cases, the roots are
symbiotically associated with algae (e.g., Coralloid roots of Cycas) or with fungi
(e.g., Mycorrhizal roots of Pinus).
● The stem is erect, aerial, solid, woody and branched (unbranched in Cycadales) but
almost tuberous in Zamia. The leaves needle-like.
The term gymnosperms and angiosperms are terms used to identify non-flowering and flowering
plants respectively.
KINGDOM: ANIMALIA
Animals are multi-cellular, eukaryotic organisms, which are heterotrophic, meaning they obtain
nutrition from organic sources. Most animals obtain nutrition by ingesting other organisms or
decomposing organic material.
CHARACTERICS OF LIVING THINGS
Living things have several features which make them different from objects that are not alive.
1. They reproduce.
2. They feed.
3. They respire- that is they release energy from their food, often by combining with
oxygen.
4. They grow.
5. They excrete- that is they get rid of substances which they do not want. These have been
made by some of the chemical reactions that occur inside them.
6. They move
7. They are sensitive- they can sense and respond to changes in their surroundings.
Dichotomous Key
A dichotomous key is an important scientific tool, used to identify different organisms, based on the
organism’s observable traits. Dichotomous keys consist of a series of statements with two choices in
each step that will lead users to the correct identification.